Washing & Ironing Tips
* Loosen buttons and remove collar stays
* Wash at a maximum of 40 degrees (30 degrees recommended)
* Program: delicates or shirts and Spin speed 600 or less
* Use minimal washing powder and no liquid detergent but washing powder because this washes much more efficiently
* Take it out of the machine immediately after washing and “knock out” your shirt just as well
* Hang it wet on a hanger and tighten it a bit
* From day one, coat the inside of the collar and cuffs with stain remover, green soap or carbonated carbonate. This way the shirt stays white and clean for the longest time
* Only wash the white shirt with white laundry so no colored laundry, even if it is light-colored laundry
* Only wash the light blue shirt with light colored laundry (no dark wash)
* Turn inside out and loosen buttons and remove collar stays
* Preferably by hand in lukewarm soapy water with little detergent. Then spread out and hang up as wet as possible
* Always use detergent (minimum amount) for colored laundry and not liquid detergent but washing powder because this washes much more efficiently
* Machine wash at 30 degrees maximum and select Program: delicates, wool or shirts. Spin speed 600 or less
* Take it out of the machine immediately after washing and “knock out” your shirt just as well
* Hang it wet on a hanger and tighten it a bit
* Leaving the dark blue or black shirt hanging outside overnight saves you a wash
* Turn inside out and loosen buttons and remove collar stays
* Preferably by hand in lukewarm soapy water with little detergent. Then spread out and hang up as wet as possible
* Always use detergent for colored laundry (minimum amount) and no liquid detergent but washing powder because this washes much more efficiently
* Machine wash at 30 degrees maximum and select Program: delicates, wool or shirts. Spin speed 600 or less
* Use minimal washing powder and no liquid detergent but washing powder because this washes much more efficiently
* Take it out of the machine immediately after washing and “knock out” your shirt just as well
* Hang it wet on a hanger and tighten it a bit
It is best to iron a shirt when it is still damp and always inside out. If the shirt is already dry, use the spray function of the iron or a plant sprayer because only with enough steam can wrinkles be 100% smoothed
* Avoid an iron that is too hot (mix at least 2 dots). Always check what is indicated in the care label
* Unbutton all buttons, so that you can reach everything with the iron
* Always start with the sleeves when ironing the shirt. Place the iron in the center of the sleeve and iron from the inside out, ironing the edges last
* Then smooth the cuffs. Iron a single button cuff with the buttons facing up. Open a double cuff and smooth it evenly. Then it is folded into the desired shape and the edges are ironed. Then it is turned over once and the fold is ironed so that the buttonholes are on top of each other
* Now that the sleeves and cuffs have been ironed, the back pad is next. Place the back pad with the inside on the ironing board and pull it tight. Then smooth the fabric. Turn the shirt with the ironing board until you have ironed the entire back pad
* Now it’s the turn of the front of the shirt. First place the side with the buttons from the outside up on the ironing board and smooth it out. Gently iron around the buttons
* Finally, iron the hem from the points inwards so that no folds are created outwards. Turn the collar over and iron the inside. Make sure you don’t keep the iron in one place for too long to avoid burn marks
Tips:
* If you often wear shirts, the investment in a professional steam iron with automatic temperature control is really worth it
* A shapely ironing board with a soft top layer - in which buttons can sink away also saves a lot of time and annoyance
Keeping White Shirts white
Use half a cup of lemon juice when washing. So you wash, with soap powder, as you normally would. And mix half a cup of lemon juice with it. Lemon juice is a natural decolorizer, but it can also react very violently. So beware, and use this method with only all-white shirts. It can actually stain colored shirts.
The best way to keep your shirt white is to keep it from getting gray at first. That sounds a bit obvious, but if you carefully select your laundry you will avoid a lot of problems. Only really wash white shirts with other whites and use a separate detergent for whites. For the real household princes and princesses: You can also rinse and soak your white shirts. Run some lukewarm water in a bowl and soap your shirts with a bar of soap. For example ox gall soap, but any other soap is also possible. Leave it on for a while and then wash the shirts on a normal cycle.